Retail News CRM

Category: Food

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Food and Food & Beverage news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Pirata Group launches ballsy pop-up dining

    Pirata Group launches ballsy pop-up dining

    For 100 days, Hong Kong diners are having a ball, or several, thanks to restaurant company Pirata Group. Its Balls pop-up diner on Star Street is offering a menu of quirky meat, seafood and vegetable ball creations by the group’s award-winning chefs, along with simple starters, desserts and drinks. Offering all-day casual dining and takeaways, Balls has no service charges and reservations are not necessary.

    Pirata Group co-founders Manuel Palacio and Christian Talpo say it is their most adventurous concept to date. “Why build a new concept in 30 days to stay open for just 100 days?” asks Palacio. “Because at Pirata Group, we have balls.”

    There are three sections for the Balls menu: Before Your Balls, Our Balls and All Balled Out.

    Our Balls include chef Arturo Melendez’s Bolas Latinas with Peruvian red peppers, chef Alfredo Rodriguez’s The Optimist’s Fishballs (HKD140) featuring squid and prawns on pilaf rice, chef Paddy McDermott’s Meatsballs (Meats is the group’s newest restaurant) featuring rotisserie chicken with blue cheese and jalapeno relish, chef Stefano Rossi’s Big Sub with melted fontina cheese, chef Andrea Viglione’s Ste Palle! with tagliatelle and arrabiata sauce (vegetarian option available), and the vegetarian Free Balling with falafel, hummus, mint yogurt and pita bread.

    The Ball creations are also featuring on the menus of each chef’s restaurant.

    Appetisers include Mozarella di Buffala and beef carpaccio, while the desserts are Sweet Balls (cinnamon jam doughnuts with custard sauce) or Not Balls (soft-serve ice cream).

    A special tasting menu offers two appetisers, three balls and one dessert.

    With a retro pop-themed design and bright interiors, Balls seats up to 40 diners at counters and tables, and has a terrace. The concept runs until February 8.

  • McDonald’s Singapore is turning Japanese

    McDonald’s Singapore is turning Japanese

    McDonald’s Singapore is turning Japanese, launching a Ninja Burger and reviving its Samurai Burger. To promote the two offerings, it has launched an “Honour Your Appetite” marketing campaign.

    Senior director of marketing, menu and digital innovation Agatha Yap says the Ninja Burger expands the brand’s variety of Japan-inspired promotional flavours, which kicked off with the Samurai Burger for a short while only in the late 1990s.

    To promote the return of the Samurai Burger, McDonald’s released a commercial featuring a fight between two samurais in a forest.

    Meanwhile, McDonald’s Singapore has started using UberEats so customers can order home delivery, which MD Kenneth Chan says will complement the fast-food chain’s 24-hour McDelivery platform.

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  • Fair Work terminates Domino’s Pizza worker agreements

    Fair Work terminates Domino’s Pizza worker agreements

    Shares in Domino’s Pizza have dropped sharply after the Fair Work Commission terminated deals with workers under which they were paid less than minimum award rates.

    The ruling by the Fair Work Commission to terminate 27 expired, existing enterprise agreements by January 24 could add significantly to Domino’s labour costs.

    Domino’s shares dropped $1.36, or 2.9 per cent, to $45.23.

    The company in August forecast a 20 per cent rise in annual profit in 2017/18, its weakest pace in four years, due to the impact of higher wages and slowing sales growth.

    The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) said it had long held concerns about the pay and conditions of Domino’s workers, especially Sunday penalty rates.

    Domino’s said it had not opposed the termination of the enterprise agreements, and had requested and been granted time to transition to a new agreement that is currently being negotiated.

    “Negotiations with the relevant parties for a new EBA are well advanced, and the intention is for it to take effect before the termination of the existing EBAs,” Domino’s said in a statement yesterday.

    Over the past 18 months, Domino’s has already increased our team members’ take-home pay in good faith in anticipation of the new EBA.

    “Domino’s will communicate the Commission’s decision to its franchisee network today, so that employees continue to receive their correct entitlements in this transitional period and beyond.”

    The new enterprise agreement will apply to more than 20,000 employees in 660 Domino’s stores across Australia, and the company intends for it to take effect before the termination of the existing agreements.

    “Over the past 18 months, Domino’s has already increased our team members’ take-home pay in good faith in anticipation of the new EBA,” Domino’s said in a statement.

    The company has been auditing its franchise stores for three years and recovered $5.4 million worth of unpaid wages and superannuation since 2014.

    The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union said the Fair Work decision will return tens of millions of dollars to Domino’s workers every year.

    According to the union’s analysis, an average casual delivery driver working 10 hours per week was being underpaid by more than $2,000 per year under the old agreements.

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  • Tealive says “Hi” to Vietnam

    Tealive says “Hi” to Vietnam

    Bubble-tea brand Tealive has made its debut in Vietnam with two stores in one month.

    The first one is located in Vincom shopping centre while the second one is a standalone store on Le Thanh Ton Street, near Ben Thanh market.

    To mark its debut in Vietnam, Tealive introduced five exclusive drinks.

    Bryan Loo, founder and CEO of Tealive, is confident the brand will win over local millennials.

    Tealive Vietnam plans to open three more stores before the end of this year, targeting 20 next year.

    Tealive, owned by Loob Holdings, rebranded from Chatime after a dispute with outlets.

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  • Hard Rock Asia CEO comes from Sands China

    Hard Rock Asia CEO comes from Sands China

    As Hard Rock International (HRI) ramps up expansion in Asia, it has a new CEO for the region, Edward Tracy, formerly CEO of Sands China.

    Owned by the Seminole tribe of Florida, HRI has international hotel/casino locations including Bali, and has just opened the Hard Rock Hotel Shenzhen in China. Other projects by Hard Rock Asia are slated for Dalian and Haikou, while upcoming Hard Rock Cafe locations include Chengdu and Phnom Penh.

    Meanwhile, Tracy is working with Hard Rock Japan toward opening a signature integrated resort. The company will be bidding for a resort licence following the government passing an Integrated Resorts Promotion Bill. Hard Rock Cafe outlets have been in Japan for 30 years.

    “As the former CEO of Sands China and CEO of the Trump Organization, Tracy brings more than 30 years of proven gaming, hospitality and integrated-resort experience to Hard Rock Asia,” says HRI chairman Jim Allen.

    Tracy joined Sands China, a subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands Corp, in July 2010 as its president and COO, becoming CEO 12 months later. He was responsible for overseeing China’s largest integrated-resort company by revenue, capacity and content, with 13,000 hotel rooms and 30,000 team members. It develops, owns and runs integrated resorts and casinos in Macau.

    Before Sands, Tracy was president/CEO of Capital Gaming, a multi-jurisdictional manager of regional casinos in the US, and also served as president/CEO of the Trump Organization, where he was responsible for managing more than 12,500 employees, 3000 luxury hotel rooms and 240,000sqft (22,300sqm) of casino space.

    HRI has venues in 73 countries including 178 cafes, 24 hotels and 11 casinos. Starting with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns a collection of music memorabilia displayed at its global locations. It is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website.

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  • Dairy Queen Korea to debut in theatre district

    Dairy Queen Korea to debut in theatre district

    Dairy Queen Korea is about to make its debut.

    The fast food chain will open a DQ Grill and Chill store in Seoul’s theatre district, Daehangno.

    The American restaurant chain, famous for its Blizzards – McFlurry-esque ice cream treats that don’t drip even when held upside down – plans to open 50 stores in Hongdae, Gangnam, Itaewon and other areas of South Korea within the next five years.

    DQ Grill and Chill is a full-service concept restaurant which offers an expanded menu.

    There are over 6800 Dairy Queen stores globally, with the company’s shareholders including billionaire investor Warren Buffett.

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  • China lifts soft cheese ban

    China lifts soft cheese ban

    Fans of soft cheeses in China have reason to celebrate after the country reversed a ban on mould-ripened cheeses, allowing imports of Camembert, Brie and Roquefort, European Union officials said Monday.

    From early September, businesses in the country were forbidden from importing cheeses made with certain moulds and bacteria.

    The ban was lifted following meetings last week between European Commission representatives and Chinese quarantine and health officials, the EU’s China delegation said in a statement.

    The National Health and Family Planning Commission issued a note to customs authorities clarifying that bacterial cultures used for the production of these cheeses were not harmful to consumers’ health, thus allowing trade to resume, according to the delegation.

    The statement added that China’s cheese quality standards are “outdated,” and the delegation and French embassy will organize a seminar with Chinese experts to “(limit) the risk of such events re-occurring in the future”.

    Axel Moreaux, manager at French restaurant Paradox in Beijing, celebrated the news.

    “The ban was in place for a short time, so it hasn’t affected our business. Now we can go ahead as normal,” he told.

    “It’s a real relief,” said Vincent Marion, co-founder of Cheese Republic, one of China’s leading online cheesemongers.

    “It is now written in black and white that this category of cheese is legally importable. So it is very positive for the French and European dairy industry,” Marion said.

    The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China previously said efforts were underway to revise China’s national food safety standards for cheese.

    It is unclear why the ban was put into place.

    China has seen a series of scandals over food safety but Western products are widely seen as made to higher standards.

    Dairy products are not a typical part of a Chinese diet, but in recent years cheeses such as mozzarella have become popular as more Chinese hanker after Western dishes such as pizza.

    Strongly flavored mould-ripened cheese is usually only available at restaurants and markets that cater to foreigners.

  • Ten Ren milk tea comes to Vietnam via franchise

    Ten Ren milk tea comes to Vietnam via franchise

    Taiwanese milk tea brand Ten Ren to open first Vietnam store next month via a franchise agreement with The Coffee House.

    Nguyen Hai Ninh, co-founder and CEO of coffee chain, says Ten Ren will open 40 stores by the end of 2018.

    “At first, we will sell traditional packed tea, bottled drinks and anchored product – milk tea. Each year we will add more items according to customer demand,” Nguyen says.

    Nguyen believes Vietnam’s milk tea market still offers huge potential, citing Euromonitor data  showing the market was worth US$282 million in 2016 with a 20 per cent year-on-year growth rate.

    The latest entrants to Vietnam’s milk tea market include Yutang, and Vietnamese brand Tocotoco.

    Backed by Seedcom holding group, The Coffee House was founded in 2014, has 64 stores all over Vietnam,with plans to increase to 200 by 2020.

    Ten Ren Tea was founded in 1953, specialises in tea and ginseng products.

  • Meats eatery offers visual feast as well

    Meats eatery offers visual feast as well

    A focal point of the new Meats eatery in SoHo, described as a “meat bar”, is a custom-made  rotisserie and robata grill.

    Guests can sit in front of the glass-fronted kitchen to watch the chefs as they marinate, grill, roast and carve.

    On Staunton Street, the bar offers casual dining without reservations, offering sharing-style dishes. As well as slow roasting and grilling, its kitchen even prepares smoked meat.

    Brought to Hong Kong by Pirata Group, Meats has warm lighting, eclectic mismatched seating and vintage touches, thanks to Melbourne’s boutique interior design firm Samantha Eades. Exposed raw building materials are offset with European tiles and hand-painted depictions of forest animals on textured walls.

    Head chef Paddy McDermott says the knowledge and science behind preparing meat “almost takes us back to our primal instincts”.

    “I’m fascinated by the skill that goes into knowing how to use the whole animal, respecting unappreciated cuts of meat to create amazing dishes.”

    Each table has tongs, miniature meat cleavers and carving forks for diners. A one-page menu divides the offering into Small, Meats, Sides, Veggies and Sweets.

    Meats dishes that can be seen turning on the rotisserie include rustic Iberian porchetta with crispy crackling and aromatic herbs. Another slow-cooked signature is the chicken, which is salted overnight and basted in its own juices. A feature dish is appropriately titled Chef Give Me Meats!, which includes exclusive items not listed the menu.

    As well as wines, the bar offers bourbons, cocktails and craft beers by the bottle and draught.

    Meats seats up to 78 diners, including discrete corners and casual counter stools.

    Pirata Group, run by Manuel Palacio and Christian Talpo, also has the restaurants Pirata, The Optimist, Pici and TokyoLima.

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  • Bangkok moves up the food chain

    Bangkok moves up the food chain

    According to the Mastercard Global Destinations Index, Bangkok is the most visited city in the world with 21.47 million overnight visitors in 2016.

    There are several factors that make Thailand’s capital the world’s leading destination and one of them is food.

    Anyone familiar with Thailand is aware of Thais’ love of food and now the world is learning more about Thai cuisine. There are few cities in the world without a Thai restaurant. Today, Bangkok is delivering a wide range of authentic Thai food and is growing as a foodie destination.

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand has been using ‘Thai Food’ as their strategy to promote sustainable tourism. Social media platforms, such as YouTube and Facebook, are the most effective channels to reach travelers, especially independent travelers who rely on the internet to plan their trip. For example, the ‘Thai-Licious Journey’ series campaign on YouTube aims to promote Bangkok as a food capital of the world.

    In addition to the government’s effort to promote Thai cuisine, the private sector is also playing a role to raise awareness. The Minor Group—one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in APAC—has expanded their Thai Express restaurant brand across six countries in Asia Pacific. Thailand’s Mudman Group has also established their Greyhound Café restaurant brand in Hong Kong and Beijing.

    In terms of variety, Bangkok offers a range of dining experiences from local street food to cutting-edge restaurants. Bangkok was ranked by CNN as the Best City in the World for Street Food in 2017. On the other end of the scale, the city is now home to two out of the fifty finest culinary establishments on the planet, according to the EATER website—Gaggan and Nahm. Bangkok’s bars are also world-famous; Sirocco Sky Bar featured in ‘The Hangover Part II’ movie.

    Retail landlords have been revising their retail mix by adding more F&B tenants, ranging from international restaurants to an indoor street food experience. For example, the Terminal 21 shopping center offers Thai local street food at affordable prices, as well as Tim Ho Wan, a one-star Michelin restaurant.

    Many of today’s travelers, especially millennials, have become more sophisticated and want authenticity and experience; Bangkok is increasingly catering to this market. Retail landlords who are using a placemaking strategy want restaurants that can give them a competitive edge to attract locals as well as international visitors.

    Traditionally, fast-food tenants have been the highest F&B rent payers but nowadays, landlords of many Bangkok shopping centers want to create a unique selling point, which means accepting lower rents to secure a wider range of restaurants.

    Bangkok is growing as a foodie destination and we can expect to see a wider and more sophisticated range of restaurants for Thai regional and international cuisines.

  • Ajisen China has mixed third quarter

    Ajisen China has mixed third quarter

    A high in China almost equally matched by a dip in Hong Kong has resulted in a mixed third quarter for Ajisen China Holding’s fast-casual restaurant business.

    Same-store sales in Hong Kong fell by 9 per cent for the three months to the end of September, while the growth rate in China had an upswing of 9.7 per cent.

    Overall, the group’s business sales saw 6.4 per cent growth compared to the same period a year ago.

    Chairman Poon Wai says the figures have not yet been reviewed or audited.

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  • McDonald’s posts positive third quarter results

    McDonald’s posts positive third quarter results

    Global fast food chain, McDonald’s, has posted an increase in sales for the third quarter as its promotions and fresh food offerings attract more customers.

    McDonald’s net income rose to $1.88 billion (A$2.42 billion) in the three months ending September 30 from $1.28 billion the previous corresponding period.

    Total revenue was $5.75 billion, down 10 per cent from a year earlier due to charges related to a refranchising initiative, according to McDonald’s.

    The fast-food company said on Tuesday that sales in the US rose 4.1 per cent at existing locations during the third quarter, thanks to its US$1 drinks and its two for US$5 promotion called McPick 2.

    McDonald’s also said pricier burgers, which are stuffed with crispy onions, kale or guacamole, helped boost sales, too.

    McDonald’s has been working to modernise its restaurants by adding mobile ordering and offering delivery through the UberEats app. It’s also been tinkering with its menu as more people shun processed foods: It removed artificial preservatives from its nuggets and it’s working to use fresh beef in its Quarter Pounder burgers.

    “We’re building a better McDonald’s and more customers are noticing,” said chief executive Steve Easterbrook.

    Adjusted earnings came to $US1.76 per share, a penny above what analysts expected, according to Zacks Investment Research.

    Revenue fell 10 per cent to US$5.75 billion, missing analyst expectations of US$5.8 billion. The company said it brought in less revenue as it switches more stores from company-owned restaurants to ones owned by franchisees, especially in China and Hong Kong.

    Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, although various storms and natural disasters across the US threatened to blow McDonald’s off course, the company’s third-quarter numbers are a testament to both its resilience and the soundness of its reinvention strategy.

    He said international growth may have waned slightly in lead markets, but its US comparable sales growth continues to accelerate over the same period last year.

    “Given that the fast food and casual dining segments as a whole struggled over the third quarter, this is an encouraging set of results which suggests McDonald’s is gaining both market and customer share,” Saunders said.

  • Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart heading for Vietnam

    Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart heading for Vietnam

    Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart will launch into Vietnam next month.

    The Japanese-inspired Malaysian brand has hinted at its debut with a sign over a kiosk under construction in the Saigon Center shopping mall in Ho Chi Minh City.

    Meanwhile, the company’s website announces it is seeking staff members for expansion into Vietnam.

    Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart has been expanding throughout Asia with stores already in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Shanghai, Singapore and Australia.

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  • Australia’s Retail Food Group to target China

    Australia’s Retail Food Group to target China

    Australian-headquartered food and beverage retailer Retail Food Group says it will focus on greater China for its next phase of growth.

    RFG is Australia’s largest multi-brand retail food franchise owner, developer and manager, with a network of more than 2500 outlets across 12 brands and 81 territories. RFG CEO international, Mike Gilbert, says the company plans to introduce a selection of its coffee-based retail food brands to Chinese consumers.

    “We’re excited to replicate our successful Australian operations in the Chinese market and accelerate the growth of brands like Gloria Jean’s Coffees, Donut King, Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar, Brumby’s Bakery, Michel’s Patisserie, Pizza Capers Gourmet Kitchen, Cafe2U and It’s A Grind in the region,” he said.

    The company also owns the BB’s Cafe, Esquires, The Coffee Guy franchise systems and the premium Di Bella Coffee Co brand.

    Gilbert says RFG’s international expansion model is based on recruiting master franchise partners who purchase a license to develop a certain brand system in a defined territory, and provides the company and local partners with the opportunity to forge sustainable alliances.

    A key strategy driving the group’s global growth is its hub network, which provides a platform for fast-tracking coffee and brand system expansion in international markets, whilst also more efficiently servicing the company’s existing markets.

    RFG is developing a Middle East hub next year which it believes will help it expand quickly through the MENA region, whilst enabling the group to more efficiently service and grow brands  in the Gulf.

    “We currently have hubs in Australia, New Zealand and the US, and plans for the Middle East underway, and will be looking to replicate them in Asia and Europe,” said Gilbert.

  • Domino’s pays $42m to buy out Japan stake

    Domino’s pays $42m to buy out Japan stake

    Domino’s Pizza is taking full ownership of its Japanese joint venture by buying out partner Bain Capital’s minority stake for $42 million.

    Domino’s, which in May announced Bain’s intention to exit, on Monday said it would pay less than the $46.4 million it set aside for the deal in its full-year accounts.

    The purchase will be funded by a combination of cash and existing debt facilities, and is expected to be completed by Friday.

    Domino’s said the transaction will be earnings per share accretive in the current financial year, which started on July 3.

    The deal is the second in less than a week for Domino’s.

    Last week, the company continued its European expansion with the 32 million euro (A$48.1 million) acquisition of German chain Hallo Pizza.

    The cost of integrating the 170 stores into Domino’s Pizza Deutschland, which is majority owned by Domino’s Pizza, will bring the ASX-listed company’s net spend on the deal to between $A52.6 million and $A63.1 million.

    That transaction will only have a small positive contribution to Domino’s FY18 underlying earnings because it won’t complete until early in the 2018 calendar year.

    Earlier this month, the pizza chain said it had returned $5.4 million in underpaid wages and superannuation to its employees over the past four years under a national audit of its stores that is due to wrap up in December.

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